More B&N Shenanigans

These latest bits of info were probably in the e-mail I never received from Barnes & Noble ("B&N"), but if any of y'all didn't get the memo either, here's what I've learned.

1) B&N raised the payout limit to $25.

What does that mean? It used to be that a writer had to accumulate $10 in royalties on their account before B&N would deposit the finds electronically into the writer's bank account.

I needed to dig through the Terms & Conditions to find the total for royalties before payout was raised to $25.

By the way, that's US dollars.

They aren't the only retailer doing this. Draft2Digital recently raised their net royalty accumulation to $10 USD. Kobo's royalty accumulation has been $50  CAD since I first joined (back in 2015, I think).

I'm disappointed because it's just one more way for the retailers to make money off of writers rather than customers. By keeping the money in their accounts longer, they make the interest, not us.

 

2) B&N will no longer carry any paperbacks with the retail price less than $14.99.

At least, this change has been on a banner on the B&N Press website, and I didn't have to spend an hour digging through legalese. My feeling is that B&N is cutting off their noses to spite their faces. A lot of indie writers, including me, have had to raise their paperback prices thanks to the economic chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic.

That already sucked, but now, the costs for supplies like paper and ink are rising again thanks to the U.S. attacks on Iran and the traffic through the Straight of Hormuz being choked.

I'm already trying not to raise my paperback prices again, but B&N trying to force the issue steams me. So, if some of my books disappear from the B&N website that's why.

 

All-in-all, the recent changes in retailer behavior is pushing me to start my own online store sooner rather than later. I'll let y'all know!